Conversion of a Snake
by Ninianna
Summary: It's the first war, and Harry Potter has yet to be thought of. People are dying and the Order of the Phoenix is recruiting anyone. Even Slytherins.


"I want to fight."

Dumbledore stared at her with those piercing blue eyes, and Jenna had to focus on keeping the eye contact. She knew what she wanted, and she was going to get it. No matter what Dumbledore said.

"Miss Ball, I don't know if you know what you're asking."

That was the end of her calm. "I do! I want to fight him. I want to fight anyone who stands in my way. He killed my brother for nothing!"

Dumbledore took in her slightly disheveled appearance. Her short, wavy brown hair lay against her pale heart-shaped face uncontrollably and her clothes were drooping on her slightly underfed frame. She looked almost wild. "Miss Ball-"

"Jenna. Professor, call me Jenna." Her calm was back, and she slumped slightly, as if weight had been added to her small shoulders.

"Jenna, you ask me to fight, yet you seem not to care if you die in the process," he said cryptically. Jenna shook her head, confused before she continued.

"I don't care if I die," she said slowly, sounding out the words, looking for her mistake.

"In order to fight correctly, one most have some survival instinct."

Catching on, Jenna shook her head rapidly. "No, not like that Professor! I meant that I will give my life for the resistance if necessary, not that I would commit suicide,"

Dumbledore steepled his fingers on the desk in front of him. The pair were sitting in the headmaster's office at Hogwarts. The students were in class, and the afternoon sun beat steadily through the window behind him. It was nearing the end of spring, and for the younger students there was an air of excitement. The older students were too worried about the exams, or something much darker. Even thought the teachers tried not to let them see, the students knew that there was a war outside the walls of Hogwarts.

"Jenna, if you don't mind my asking," he paused, waiting for a gesture from Jenna to continue. She merely raised an eyebrow. He continued. "You were sorted into Slytherin, and most of your family believes in what Voldemort is doing."

Jenna jumped slightly at the name, but looked at Dumbledore. Not moving her eyes from his, she started her explanation.

"When I was a child, my family believed me to be a perfect pureblood princess," she stopped here and sneered. "When I came to Hogwarts, it was no different. Except for one thing." She paused, gathering her thoughts. She looked up to the Sorting Hat, sitting on one of the shelves of the office. "It told me, the Sorting Hat, that I would do well in Gryffindor." Dumbledore did not react to what she was saying, so she continued. "I refused adamantly. I wanted to be the pureblood princess then. I've changed. All through the seven years I was here, I acted the part. Two weeks ago, my brother, Endric, was killed. Not for being a blood traitor; no, he served the Dark Lord with the utmost respect. He was killed for thinking. He uttered an opinion and the Dark Lord killed him."

Jenna stopped to collect her emotions before they got out of hand. "I want to fight because I have known for years that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was wrong in what he did. I did nothing; to protect myself above others, I did nothing. I am ashamed." She looked into the old mans eyes, looking for a reaction. When she saw none, she continued. "I acted the Slytherin Snake, not the Gryffindor Lion. But now I turn from it. I am cunning and intelligent, but I am no coward. No Slytherins are cowards, but we watch our backs before others. Not anymore," her voice swelled with painful emotions.

"My fellow Slytherins can damn all the rest and protect their own, but not I. Not anymore. I am through hiding while others are killed. My brother believed wrong to become a Death Eater, but he died at the Dark Lord's hands. I want to fight on the right side, I want to fight them to save others." She realized, in that moment, how much she believed her own words. Jenna had known what she wanted, but now she believed in it.

Dumbledore smiled. It was a sad, weary smile, but behind it was joy. "My dear child, Jenna, you will not take no for an answer. It is an admirable quality," he added quickly before she could interrupt. "You will join the Order of the Phoenix, the resistance, even at the cost of your own life?"

Jenna felt a shiver of warning pass through her body, but she ignored it. "Yes. No matter the cost."

***

That night, the group gathered at the Potter's house. It was a quaint cottage, but it was homey.

"So James, who d'you think is gonna win the cup?" Sirius asked with a goofy grin on his face.

"Padfoot, could you please be serious for one second?" Lily asked exasperatedly.

"Nope."

James groaned and moved in between the two. "Guys, please! Dumbledore said he was bringing a new member tonight, can we please be nice?"

They were a relatively small group. The entire Order never gathered together, Mad-Eye insisted that if some died, there had to be some to regroup. At the cottage at that moment, there were the Longbottoms, the McKinnons, the Potters and Sirius, Remus, and Minerva McGonagall. And they were apparently soon to be joined by Dumbledore and company. They were a little cramped in the front room, but no one minded. The idea of having a new member in the Order had raised everyone's hopes. More people were dying by the day, and if they had at least one more member, then that was one more reason to keep fighting.

Suddenly there was a knock on the front door. Lily jumped up and raced towards it. She said a relatively simple charm to make sure it was Dumbledore, but then let him in.

There he stood, with his long white beard and his showy blue robes with yellow stars on them. She smiled warmly at her former Professor and let him in. "Dumbledore! It's so great to see you! We haven't seen you for a while!"

The Professor smiled. "Thank you dear Lily, and might I say, you look more beautiful than ever." His eyes twinkled and Lily flushed and mumbled something under her breath. She extended an arm to let him in. He followed her lead into the sitting room and exchanged greetings with all of the members before he cleared his throat.

"My fellow Order members, I'd like to introduce a new member, who came to me this morning and talked with me. I find her brave, courageous, loyal, and very talented." At that very moment, the door opened for the second time and a slim figure came into the room.

Sirius jumped up and pulled out his wand, pointing it at the newcomer. Gasps were heard around the room as they recognized the petite woman. Alice Longbottom looked at Dumbledore in shock, before turning to face the girl she had known in school.

"Dumbledore, it's Jennifer Ball." She said shortly, with no preamble or tact.

"Yes my dear, it is." He said amusedly.

The young woman, only eighteen, just like the Potters and the Longbottoms, and Remus and Sirius too, shifted her weight from foot to foot. Sirius, not lowering his wand growled deep in his chest. He, too, spoke.

"Jennie, what are you doing here?" He glowered at his third cousin.

She snapped at him, "Don't call me that. You know I hate that," the ending was timid.

James too, stood. "Jennifer Ball. I remember you. You were in our year…" He trailed off and glanced at his newlywed wife. "In Slytherin,"

Jenna sighed. "Yes. I was," she rubbed her eyes and looked down at her feet.

Alice spoke again. "Albus…her brother is a Death Eater! Her whole family-" She broke off suddenly at the suppressed snob from the woman.

"Was," Jenna said quietly.

"Excuse me?" Alice said, obviously confused.

"He was a Death Eater. He was murdered," The group could barely hear her; she was still staring at her feet. She continued after barely a second passed. "You-Know-Who killed him. Endric tried to convince him that it was unnecessary to kill a child that clung to the body of his mother. The Dark Lord killed them both." The room which previously had held light whispers fell totally silent.

Lily noticed a crystal tear drop fall to rest on Jenna's foot. Lily got up and walked over to her. Stopping barely a foot away, Lily opened her arms slightly. Jenna looked up confusedly and saw the sympathy and sincerity in the woman's eyes. Jenna closed the space, and Lily wrapped her arms around the frail, grieving girl.


End file.
